St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-07-23
HOWARD'S LETTER.
PROFESSIONAL BEGGARS OF NEW
YORK AND THEIR TRICKS.
Artistic Make-ups of Misery by Which
Lucrative Appeals Are Made to the
Charity of the Public-A Study OF
Mendicant Life In the Metropolis.

sitting in the shadow Of lamppost IS
woman whose haggard face and bent
form would indicate person OF seventy
five or eighty years of age. She crouches
at the foot of the lamppost clad externally
in faded, torn, tlimsy shawl and a
wretched calico dress, her head capped
by the most extraordinary bonnet think
| ever saw On the ground rests
miniature hand organ, two feet long and
about six inches high, from which the
old dame grinds the feeblest suggestion
of old-time tunes, such as "Bob-talled
Nag" DANDY Jim from Caroline" "Old
Dog Tray" and Home, Sweet Home"
Her hands are long and skinny; her
fingers those of skeleton.
Crouching in the dark, feebly turning
this little crank, the old lady presents
picture of desOlation and restitution be-
side which Lazarus was very king
On the top of the little organ rests tin
cup battered and worn.
had curiosity last night to watch this
woman, and, taking my seat in boot
blacks chair nearby, absorbed the stu
alton. 1t was about half-past ten; the
street was filled with promenaders, and,
being in the vicinity of theatres, the
Academy and half dozen popular
drinking saloons, there was a continuous
procession of men laughing, joking and
jolly. Hundreds passed without even
noticing her, but every now and then
happy go-lucky fellow would throw her
a coin, and in the course Of my observa-
ton fifteen people each gave her some
thing. A respectfully dressed man, APP
parently forty years of age, wearing a
noticeably long ulster and stoveplpe
hat, took particular pains to see that his
contribution reached the cup and did not
fall upon the ground or upon the box, as
that of many Others did. The half-hour
had about passed when the same man
approached her again. AS he leaned over
apparently to put something in the cup, he
spoke to her and then, in an indifferent
manner, crossed the street and stood in
front of liquor store on the corner.
Presently the old woman emptied the
contents of the cup into her hand, looked
at it carefully and rut it in her pocket
Rising cautiously, she took her organ
under her arm, crossed the street and, as
the man moved off toward Third avenue,
followed him. With one boot polished
and the other simply blackened | handed
the boy his dime and at safe distance
on the other side of the way followed
the pair. They passed Third avenue
and along Fourteenth street to Second
avenue, she some fifteen or twenty feet
behind him. As they turned into Second
avenue he stopped, waiting for her, took
the instrument, said something in a
laughing tone and together they walked
up Second avenue until they reached
Sixteenth street, when they turned of
toward the river.
There was no one else in the street at
the time, and did not care to investi-
gate further for obvious reasons.
My judgment is that the woman is the
mans wife; that her feeble and enact
ated appearance is simply a professional
makeup, and that together they reap a
very satisfactory harvest from the good
natured people to whom nickel or
dime is of no consequence.
On Twenty-third street | saw man
this morning whose face has been famil-
lar to me for at least ten years. Some
times he stands in front of the Catholic
church in Barclay street, sometimes at
Fulton ferry, sometimes by the Academy
of Music and occasionally in front of the
Grand Central Depot He has one of
the handsomest bald heads ever saw.
His face is as red as rose. The hand
has been lost from his right arm and he
exposes round and shiny knob in its
place. He affects particularly cold
weather and on the bleakest days stands
apparently shivering from the top of his
shiny head to the soles of his calloused
heels as if he were suffering intensely:
This morning as was on Twenty-third
street, Just this side of French Catholic
church, | noticed the same man.
Some service had evidently been going
on in the church, for hundreds of women
passed from it along the street, and in
what follows | find somewhat suggest
i've hint. They were mainly poor people,
and certainly one in every ten gave the
beggar some little token. | have noticed
in ferryboats, in cars and elsewhere, that
it is, as rule, the poorer and humber
grade of men and women to whom these
professional beggars look with conf
dence. Well, as said, this old fellow
reaped very rich harvest this morning:
I had occasion to go into stable and
then, having gone out to Twenty-fourth
street, passed along toward Sixth ave-
nue., when, to my amazement, coming
out of lager beer saloon wiping his lips,
was my bald-headed beggar whom | had
seen half an hour before collecting his
contributions from the faithful on
Twenty third street. had half notion
to accost and question him, but, on the
theory that trade is trade and it is a
good idea for every man to mind his own
business, I passed along.
For five or six years past men on Wall
street have been accosted by poorly
clad, very pale, feeble choking girl of
perhaps twenty years of age, who gen
orally has her face and head done up in
bandage of some kind. | remember
when first met her | gave her some
thing two or three times, but after while
she became a familiar figure, and, con-
Guiding that she was professional beg
gar, gave her nothing. | have not seen